


Lonely

by TidbitsAndThoughts



Series: Song Fic Stories [9]
Category: A Hat in Time (Video Game)
Genre: Implied abuse, Non-Consensual Kissing, Non-Consensual Touching, Stitches, also, and those tags refer to vanessa at moonjumper, just a little bit for this one, let me know if I need to tag anything else
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:00:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26296813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TidbitsAndThoughts/pseuds/TidbitsAndThoughts
Summary: Moonjumper spends some time with Hattie and a new dweller awakens in Subcon! But, the will of the threads return Moonjumper to prison far too soon. But! He leaves something behind that lead Snatcher and Hattie to a terrible discovery.This song fic is based on Lonely by Nathan Wagner! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61PFDkqt5Nk Please enjoy!
Series: Song Fic Stories [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1884079
Comments: 9
Kudos: 57





	Lonely

She… wasn’t giving up. The imprisoned prince had thought it might be best to remain against his wall for many reasons not limited to but including the fact that Vanessa could return at any moment as she was still especially worried about him slipping from his grasp and there was the only other person who could see him waiting at the base of the frozen time piece.

Hattie was waiting for him at the frozen time piece. He wasn’t sure how she had managed to pinpoint his entry point into the forest, but since Snatcher had recovered, Hattie ambled through the forest and plopped down crisscross applesauce. Unmoving, except for the occasional idle playing with toys, she stared at the moon.

He didn’t understand. Legitimately, _what was she doing_? She didn’t have a reason to look for him. She had Snatcher, who would check up on her periodically and hand her a large purple cherry insisting the subconites were worried about her and she needed to eat. The shadow would sometimes pluck her up and coil at the base of the time piece before setting her down on his lap, letting her get comfortable while he read an old textbook about magic.

And yet, Hattie kept her gaze upward.

She would leave, presumably to sleep in her own bed, before coming back. She always came back.

A few days after the imprisoned prince tied Snatcher’s soul back together, Vanessa had spent the night with the imprisoned prince, holding his chin as she pressed cold lips to cold skin. When Vanessa left to increase the blizzard around her manor, he swiftly retrieved his mask by summoning threads from his palm and hid his features. Chest rising and falling as he leaned his head back against the wall, he tried to calm the torrent of his heart with steady breathing. Tears burned in his eyes as he replayed the night with his captor in his head. Was this all he could know?

Footsteps on gravel below interrupted his anxious spiral and he glanced down. Hattie returned to the shattered hourglass and plopped down in the same spot as the day before. The imprisoned prince felt a warmth in his chest when he looked down at Hattie. He couldn’t stop the soft smile that ached on his lips.

He wasn’t sure what prompted the strings to give. It could have been Vanessa’s powers dwindled in the prison when she was in the manor, or maybe the strings took pity on him, but he found the taut strings go lax as he wished to see Hattie.

He tumbled from his prison without warning.

Hattie gasped as the tethered prince suddenly landed in front of her, his chains clinking as he hovered. His eyes widened, his hand immediately going to his features. Relief flooded through when he remembered he had put on the mask.

“It’s you!” Hattie scrambled to her feet, tilting her head so her top hat shifted on her head.

He stared at her, floating unhelpfully as he crossed his arms across his chest. Watching her gaze, he noted how she followed the red threads tied around his wrists and neck climb back up to the moon, where the ends disappeared into his unseen prison. Her gaze fell back onto his mask, tracing the crescent shape in wonder. Her blue eyes were furrowed, the gears in her head turning.

“Are you trapped?” She asked softly.

The tethered prince nodded.

“How can I free you?” A determined look crossed her features with such a fierceness he was taken aback.

A lump formed in his throat, causing the thread around his neck to tighten.

Shaking his head, the tethered prince dipped his head down in apology.

He was not a creature worth freeing.

Hattie crossed her arms at this, tapping her foot as she considered him. She began to walk around him as he hovered in the air. Glancing over his shoulder, he watched as she examined him. Returning to his front, she lifted a hand to her chin, looking thoughtful.

“You’re part of the prince. The other fragment of his soul, like Snatcher.”

He nodded.

“Do you know who I am?” She asked, the determined look in her blue eyes wavering.

Was she asking if he knew she was his daughter? The tethered prince felt the lump in his throat thicken painfully. He held up a finger to ask her to wait, glancing around, anxiously trying to locate an instrument or something he could play.

“What is it?” Hattie tilted her head.

His cello was useless. The piano was in manor—broken—if he recalled Hattie’s first excursion there correctly. He couldn’t—his hand lifted towards his mask, fingers brushing the painted smile with a pained scowl—he couldn’t sing. Vanessa had ensured that.

“Pa-Prince?” Hattie tried again. He glanced down, unsure how to prove he knew her. Instinctively he lowered himself, reaching a tentative hand out towards Hattie but he paused, looking at his frostbitten fingers.

He thought about cold claws that often traced his cheeks.

Pulling back, he slumped, dropping completely to the ground, his tattered tunic fanning out around him as he clasped his hands together.

“Do you know me?” Hattie repeated, softly, sitting in front of him and hugging her knees to her chest.

He nodded, rubbing his thumb against his palm. Then, a small hand reached out. Her fingers unfolded, beckoning to take hold.

A lifetime ago, he wouldn’t have hesitated to take her hand. Why did the idea of lacing his fingers with hers fill him with such fear? Why did the idea of not reaching out fill him with even more fear?

Tentatively, he moved his hand towards hers. He pressed the tips of his fingers into hers, waiting for her to pull back from the cold. But instead, she gently used her fingers to guide and press his knuckles to the palm of her hand. Warm. She was so warm.

His child was alive and warm.

“Kiddo? Back waiting for a ghost again?” Snatcher’s voice resounded through the trees. The tethered prince jolted but Hattie’s hold on his hand remained firm.

“Can I tell him that you two—” Hattie turned to ask, but she stopped when she eyed his rigid posture. She hummed thoughtfully before she looked over her shoulder as Snatcher flew into view.

“He’s here!” She called, waving her free hand.

“Aren’t you a little old for imaginary friends?” Snatcher flew by their side. His glowing gold eyes looked down at their hands, though he only saw Hattie’s fingers curled against air.

“He’s real!” She gave the tethered prince a squeeze and he rubbed his thumb against her pinky. “I’ve named him Moonjumper.”

Moonjumper?

“Moonjumper?” Snatcher scoffed, crossing his arms as he hovered over them. “Sounds imaginary to me.”

“It’s because he jumps over the moon,” Hattie glanced towards the tethered prince, who straightened under her gaze.

“And you named him?” Snatcher moved a hand to his cheek. “Kiddo, I think we need to have a discussion about suspending disbelief.”

“Well he doesn’t talk much.” She glanced towards the tethered prince. “You don’t mind, do you?”

The tethered prince—or, Moonjumper—shook his head. He actually kind of liked it. It was a lot better of a title than any of his previous ones.

Snatcher pushed between them, his jack-o-lantern smile staring right through Moonjumper. Golden eyes tracked around carefully. Not wanting Hattie to suffer through the taunting that his other soul was no doubt concocting, Moonjumper lifted his free hand and summoned a timid string. Snatcher’s gaze snapped to the string and his eyes narrowed.

“What?” Snatcher floated up, letting Hattie get a clear view of the string. He arched his arm over and tapped the wiggling end of a crimson thread. Moonjumper made it wave sheepishly back.

“Told you!” Hattie blew a raspberry.

Moonjumper’s lips ached but he couldn’t stop his smile as Snatcher bent his head back towards Hattie, causing his features to cast a golden glow on her face.

“You’re such a rude young lady!” He twisted around in a flash and scooped her up, pulling her hand from Moonjumper’s. Snatcher turned her upside down and she giggled, wiggling as she tried to right herself.

Moonjumper slowly floated to his standing height. Feeling he might be intruding, he drifted towards the moon.

“No!” Hattie yelped, causing Snatcher to jolt. Snatcher followed her reaching hand and swiftly righted her. She landed heavily on her feet before hurrying to Moonjumper’s side. “Stay!” She put up her hands to motion for him to stop. “Please? At least for a little!”

“If he doesn’t want to stay that’s his problem.” Snatcher crossed his arms, his tail twitching with agitation.

“Jealous?” Hattie flashed a toothy grin, reaching out blindly for Moonjumper.

He looked at her grasping hand as she tried to find him. Considering his blue hand, he slowly brushed his fingers against hers, and she latched onto him.

“What?” Snatcher bristled at Hattie’s comment, the mane around his neck fluffing up. “That’s absurd!” He pressed his talon to his chest. “I don’t get jealous. Green’s an ugly color on me.”

Moonjumper thought of Vanessa’s green dress, wondering if the other half of his soul was thinking the same.

“Yeah, yeah.” Hattie tugged Moonjumper after her. At first, he was afraid his strings would grow taut, but his chest heaved with relief as he floated behind her.

“Don’t ‘yeah’ me, missy!” Snatcher flicked her top hat and she laughed.

Moonjumper automatically righted her hat for her. Feeling a burning gaze, Moonjumper turned to find Snatcher staring at her straightened hat, his golden eyes dipping slightly. Moonjumper pulled his arm back and pressed it to his stomach, the chain clinking softly.

“My minions tell me there’s a new dweller ready to sign over her afterlife!” Snatcher’s smile stretched as he focused entirely on Hattie, the only distain he had been feeling for the invisible phantom lingering in a forceful twitch of his tail. “I’m heading back to the tree to meet them.”

“Sign over her afterlife?” Hattie pursed her lips, following after the gleeful shadow and leading Moonjumper gently. “Just… what does the contract entail?”

“Oh, just the usual.” Snatcher let out a wicked laugh. “Serving me as long as their cloth bodies don’t give out, contributing to the community, helping me catch wayward souls.” Looking over his shoulder, he tossed Hattie a mischievous wink.

“You don’t eat souls, do you?” Hattie turned, suddenly, looking up at Moonjumper.

Startled at being addressed, he shook his head quickly.

“I can bring you some bacon, then.” Hattie nodded like it was the most obvious thing in the world, to offer a frostbitten ghost bacon after he confirmed he didn’t eat souls.

The smile that pressed against his lips caused a light throbbing and he quickly summoned back as blank an expression as he could, under his mask. He had forgotten how much it hurt to smile frequently. It had just been so long since he had reasons to.

Hattie and Snatcher relayed playful banter, filling the hushed forest with sound, as they made their way to the tree. At the entrance of Snatcher’s hollowed oak, a cluster of subconites surrounded a dweller with a glittering tail the shifted between pink and pale green, much like the northern lights.

The floating dweller wore a reddish-brown mask with a pink floral pattern printed on a familiar rabbit shape. The holes for the eyes of the mask had a trail of misplaced snowflakes trailing all the way down the mask.

Snatcher’s normally wavering form stiffened and a sense of dread gripped Moonjumper’s chest.

“Here she is, Boss!” One subconite cheered.

“Look what we have here!” Snatcher shook away any hesitation and curled around the dweller. The subconites backed away while Snatcher hissed, “I haven’t seen you around before. No matter, I’m always starved for souls.” He snapped his talons and a contract and quill appeared. “Tell you what though, you’ll get to stay here! Working for me until you run out of purpose. Sign on the line and I’ll tether your soul to a body so you can prove useful.”

The dweller’s shimmering eyes glowed with curiosity more than fear. Without pausing, she used her tail to hold the quill and sign her name.

Moonjumper slipped out of Hattie’s hand and floated forward, reading her name before Snatcher yanked the contract back to add his stamp.

Moonjumper’s shoulders slumped and Snatcher paused as his gaze lingered on the signature. Noting the slight tremble of Snatcher’s talons, Moonjumper glanced at Hattie, who was looking from each soul with suspicion.

“Pleasure to have you aboard, Primrose.” Snatcher’s voice seemed to gain theatrics as his smile stretched. He snapped the contract away and summoned a limp doll. With practiced hands, he guided the soul into the doll and in a flash, a golden light with a rosy pink glow lit up the hood and Primrose landed on the ground.

“The prince!” Primrose declared urgently. Trying to take a step forward on clumsy doll feet, she tumbled forward. Moonjumper summoned a string to catch her but Snatcher was swifter.

“Easy there, champ.” Snatcher pushed her upright. Moonjumper glided backwards, joining Hattie as he hugged himself.

“The others,” Primrose gestured to the other minions, “told me you would tell me where the prince was. We have to find him! The queen—”

“Killed him,” Snatcher finished. Moonjumper felt himself sink, looking down at the dirt path as he remembered.

_The ache in his chest. The agony of claws gripping his heart as he was pulled apart._

A soft touch found his bicep and Moonjumper jolted. Hattie had placed a gentle hand on him and offered a sad smile. Remaining on the ground, he slowly covered her hand with his and her smile widened a little more.

“No, then—” Primrose whirled around, glancing in the direction of the manor.

“Primrose,” Snatcher’s low voice darkened seriously, “where did you come from?”

“The village.” Primrose pressed her doll hands to her chest, her hood dipping in despair. “I—I had died. One of the Queen’s guards came with a note that was supposedly from the Prince. A rose was placed inside but a thorn had pricked me.”

“Roses aren’t poisonous,” Hattie interjected.

“But it was enchanted,” Primrose said. “Before I knew it, ice magic—” she paused looking from Hattie to some of the subconite children, “—well, it felt like it stopped my heart.”

Moonjumper’s grip tensed and Hattie leaned against his shoulder, seeming to try to comfort him. He stiffened at the gesture, but appreciated it, nonetheless.

“I became a spirit,” Primrose held out her hands, looking down. “I realized what must have happened. Luka would never have hurt a fly but the Queen… we had noticed how she seemed colder ever since they had the princess.”

This time, Hattie’s fingers gripped Moonjumper’s hand as her head shot up. Moonjumper’s eyes widened as he turned to the child. Her gaze was still on Primrose and her features crinkled with dismay.

Oh _no_. No, that wouldn’t do. Unsure what he could do to comfort Hattie, Moonjumper summoned a thin string that wove behind her and through the air, over to Snatcher. It gently tapped Snatcher’s shoulder and Snatcher scowled, turning. His golden eyes flashed with irritation at the thread, but when the thread retreated back to Hattie, Snatcher immediately noticed her expression. An all too familiar expression to the prince.

“But when I tried to warn someone,” Primrose continued while Snatcher slunk over to Hattie and plucked her up. Warmth left Moonjumper’s side, but he didn’t mind as Hattie was collected against Snatcher’s chest. Primrose finished, “a thick blizzard froze everything.”

“You’ve been frozen all this time?” Snatcher asked as he held Hattie. She had originally squirmed slightly, looking back and reaching for Moonjumper, but he gave her a gentle wave, hoping she understood that he was okay. She visibly relaxed, letting Snatcher hold her close.

“What do you mean all this time?” Primrose demanded. “How long have I been—”

“The shadow queen froze the forest centuries ago.” Snatcher’s tail flicked back and forth, but he said the words pleasantly, like it almost amused him.

“No.” Primrose dropped to her doll knees. “My siblings… Luka… I couldn’t…”

Snatcher’s form slumped as he spared a glance at Hattie, who was clinging to a tuft of the fluff on his chest. Moonjumper watched as Snatcher’s tail curled towards Primrose and gently pushed up on the top of her hood, getting her to look up.

“Alex is here,” Snatcher said with sincerity.

“They are?” Primrose scrambled up, tripping over her feet. Snatcher kept his tail out for her to steady herself with. “But wait, how do you—"

“I’ll have the others take you back to the subconite village,” Snatcher interrupted, “but first, tell me how you woke up.”

“The village was unfrozen.” Primrose shrugged.

“It’s not now.” Snatcher scowled.

“I don’t know.” Primrose huffed. “Maybe the magic wore off long enough for me to leave?”

Snatcher hummed before motioning for the subconites to help her to the village. Primrose, excited to reunite with Alex, eagerly followed them down the path.

“Why didn’t you tell her you were the prince?” Hattie leaned back from his hold.

“Kid, it’s not important.” Snatcher pushed the rim of her hat over her eyes and she groaned.

Moonjumper rose, absentmindedly brushing the dust off of his tattered tunic. His chains jingled with his movement.

“She misses you,” Hattie returned.

“It’s my fault she—” Snatcher trailed off. Moonjumper felt that ache acutely.

It was both their faults.

“None of it was your fault,” Hattie muttered, looking from Snatcher and then to Moonjumper.

Moonjumper hugged himself, swaying.

“D-did mom really get worse when I—”

“No!” Snatcher snapped, cutting her off as Moonjumper flew forward.

The threads on his wrist and throat tightened and he felt a tug back. But no! He had to make sure she knew she was not to blame.

“Kiddo.” Snatcher shifted Hattie in his arms so he could look her in the eye. “You’re a pain in the old ghost butt but you were never at fault. You remember the storybook, it was—”

“Wait!” Hattie’s eyes widened as her dismayed expression shifted into recollection. “Was Primrose the florist?”

“And my dear friend.” Snatcher floated into his hollow and settled down with Hattie on his lap. “But that was a lifetime ago.”

While Hattie peppered Snatcher with questions about Primrose, Moonjumper found the strings pulling him back. He leaned towards the tree, unable to get closer but finding that he wanted so badly to stay with Hattie and Snatcher. He just wanted to be part of that warmth.

But he couldn’t help but feel maybe he didn’t deserve it. And the strings pressed into his skin.

“Wait!” Hattie scrambled off of Snatcher and dart back outside, spotting Moonjumper as the threads pulled. “Moonjumper! What’s wrong? Is it the threads?”

Moonjumper could only nod.

“I’ll wait for you!” Hattie promised, darting over to him. “We’ll figure out how to free you for good! Or maybe you can send a thread and bring us to you?”

Send a thread? Moonjumper tilted his head. Before she could respond, the threads tugged him back and he felt himself slipping further. He gave Hattie one last look before he retreated.

Features tight with worry, she had been reaching out as he left.

He slammed into the wall of the moon and he slumped. Vanessa was nowhere to be found, no doubt ensuring the village remained frozen. Now, chained and alone, he pondered over the forest below.

While Snatcher’s guilt over what happened to the forest and its occupants was well understood by the imprisoned prince, Hattie’s worry that she might have been to blame was surprising. Luckily, Snatcher snipped that in the bud but Moonjumper couldn’t help but wonder if there was something more, he could do to ease her fears.

A quick glance around his prison reminded him that there probably wasn’t a lot a chained ghost could offer.

He breathed heavily through his nose, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. He couldn’t stop thinking about how even Primrose seemed distraught she hadn’t warned him in time way back before Vanessa froze everything. Were they all doomed to feel responsible, somehow? He had felt so alone but maybe he wasn’t the only one hurting so. Were they all just desperately trying to be enough to protect the ones they loved?

No. He shook his head, too tired to smile a self-mocking smile. At least Snatcher was protecting the forest now. Hattie was safe and protecting him. Even the subconites were able to rebuild their homes. Meanwhile, Moonjumper couldn’t even leave his prison for long periods of time. After all the ones he continued to fail to protect, perhaps he was the most wicked creature in the forest.

Then, he heard voices. He froze, glancing out of his prison and down to the forest. Snatcher and Hattie were both at the base of the frozen hourglass. With a thread.

One of the scarlet threads hung before the hourglass and traveled up to the prison and into his hand. Moonjumper jerked in surprise, pinching the soft yarn. Had he made the thread? But when?

“Hold up, Kiddo,” Snatcher groaned down below. “We have no idea who this spirit is. And if he’s in chains like you said, what makes you think he doesn’t deserve to be where he is?”

“He doesn’t, Dad,” Hattie responded gently. “He really needs help.”

Moonjumper’s heart ached.

“Okay, fine!” Snatcher growled. “Just stop with the wounded puppy eyes. Let me just make sure we’re still connected to the forest.”

What? Moonjumper straightened as Snatcher summoned a purple string—a normal one he no doubt used for making the dolls for the subconites—and embedded fire magic into it.

No! Moonjumper scrambled to try to pull back the red thread. Snatcher _could not_ come here and be reminded of their shared past. Hattie _could not_ be in a place where Vanessa could come in at any time. Moonjumper would not let his family suffer what he did on a daily basis. But the string _wouldn’t come back_.

“Is it tight?” Snatcher asked below.

“Yep!” Hattie saluted, tugging on the purple thread tied around her waist.

“Not too tight?” Snatcher clarified as he tied the other end to the pillar by the frozen time piece ruins.

“Not too tight!” Hattie nodded.

No! No! No! _Please!_ Moonjumper tried to will the thread back.

“Then let’s find this Lunarleaper.” Snatcher shrunk down a little and grabbed onto Hattie’s shoulders as she walked towards the thread.

“Moonjumper,” she corrected.

“Whatever.”

The second she pulled on the string, the end in Moonjumper’s palm tugged.

No! He gave the thread one more yank.

Hattie and Snatcher jumped into the moon.

*

Keeping his talons on Hattie, Snatcher held on for his afterlife as they suddenly shot up. With his eyes squeezed shut, they came to a stop. Cold. The air was cold. He opened his golden eyes, glaring at any potential threats, but the place they found themselves in was mostly empty.

A white stretch of walls with tangles of red thread hanging throughout the prison was primarily barren. The red threads were thicker at the wall opposite of them, where someone was chained against the white wall.

“What?” Snatcher hissed, his eyes narrowing on the slumped figure.

The figure who wore _his_ mask. _His_ clothes.

Snatcher released Hattie’s shoulders and flew forward. The figure recoiled as Snatcher paused inches from the crescent moon mask. The frostbitten hand holding the scarlet thread trembled. Cut chains on his wrist clinked like wind chimes but the welts they dug into his skin confirmed they had been there for a sinisterly long time. Subconsciously, Snatcher rubbed one of his own wrists with a remembering talon.

“Can you see him?” Hattie sounded surprised as she joined them at the wall. “Can’t we release him?”

Snatcher didn’t respond and instead, looked into the patterned eyes of the mask. Moonjumper seemed to be staring back, if the occasional glitter of gold irises behind the thin fabric was any indication. Breaking eye contact first, Snatcher glanced down at Moonjumper’s rapidly rising and falling chest.

He wasn’t quite sure why, but Moonjumper’s fear irritated him.

“Remove your mask,” Snatcher ordered.

Moonjumper visibly flinched.

“That wasn’t a suggestion.” Snatcher leaned close, hissing with his wide smile and pronounced fangs. “Take off the mask or I’ll rip it off myself.”

“Snatcher!” Hattie scolded but he ignored her, not taking his eyes from Moonjumper.

He needed to see. He needed to see the face beneath for himself.

Moonjumper nodded. He summoned a red thread that snaked to his mask. The thread paused for a moment before it untied the ribbon on the back of his head. The mask dropped but didn’t clatter against the ground. Hattie had jumped forward to catch it.

She gasped and hugged the mask to her chest, looking up at Moonjumper. Snatcher felt sick.

It was the prince, with soft tufts of dark blue hair framing pale blue cheeks. His red-shot eyes were heavy with purple bags. Yes. It was the prince. Or at least the other fragmented half of the prince’s soul. But Hattie and Snatcher had both expected that.

Moonjumper looked down, closing his eyes to avoid their expressions.

What had made Hattie gasp and Snatcher bring a talon to his wide, glowing mouth, was the string of crimson stitches that laced Moonjumper’s lips shut.

**Author's Note:**

> Hate to leave you on a cliff-hanger but here we go! Also I am getting a feel for the florist. I may or may not write more for her but via a song I kind of like the idea of her having an unrequited crush on the prince? Either way, I probably won't have her do much more in the overall plot. 
> 
> Now please listen to a happy song. Every time I listen to Lonely, my heart aches and I hope you all will treat yourselves to a gentler song. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know what you think!


End file.
